


Convince Me

by wynnebat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hogwarts Fifth Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-03-21 22:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3706551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wynnebat/pseuds/wynnebat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I wanted to thank you for your hard work at the castle."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Convince Me

As students tumbled out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom after their fourth class under Professor Umbridge, Harry stayed behind, motioning to his friends to go on ahead without him. Hermione looked like she might stay, her lips pressing into a line that said, "Don't do anything stupid, Harry," but Ron tugged her along. Besides, Harry wasn't going to do anything stupid. Probably. Though he was going to attempt to flex his latent Slytherin qualities, mostly submerged by his Gryffindor ones. (And good riddance, he'd once thought, but then he saw how little his approach was working, and decided to try a different route.)

He walked back toward Umbridge's desk. Harry let out one deep breath, straightened his back, and said, "I wanted to thank you for your hard work at the castle."

Umbridge's jaw didn't drop, but her face slackened out of utter surprise. "Excuse me?"

Harry shrugged, hoping the gesture looked natural. He wasn't an especially good liar, more so when he hated a professor as much as he hated Umbridge. (And none of his teachers, not even secretive Dumbledore or death-foretelling Trelawney, had ever measured up to Umbridge.) "I know we haven't really seen eye to eye. I'm obstinate, you're devoted to bettering the school. I see that now. So, thanks. I think whatever professors replace Hagrid and Trelawney are going to be really great for the school."

Umbridge gathered her wits, and said, in a still very befuddled tone, "Thank you. I don't suppose this means you're reconsidering your lies about You-Know-Who being back?"

Trying not to think of curses and dark creatures and Umbridge's very smug face, Harry said, "I can offer to be under Veritaserum. Or a truth spell. But I'd doubt you'd believe either of those."

"They can be fooled, and one can be truthful in believing his delusions."

"So what would it take? For you to believe me? Because professor, I'm scared. I can't protect anyone. I can't even protect myself. There's death eaters walking the streets--" sorry, Sirius, Harry thought "--and a dark bastard having the world to himself because the world won't believe he's right there. I need all the help I can get. And I'm asking for yours."

A long pause stretched out between them as Umbridge considered Harry's offer. Finally, she said, "I don't need to hear your lies. Leave, Potter."

Harry turned back. His hand was on the doorknob when he heard Umbridge speak.

"But if I did believe... I would say that I need much more proof than you can offer. Not of whether he's back, but of whether you can actually win against him."

"I'll find it," Harry replied, and closed the door behind himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Complete; no sequel planned.


End file.
